Nobody could take South Carolina's Vicari Swain down. After running left, he weaved through Virginia Tech's punt team, dodging tackles down the right side. Swain spun to break away from a diving defender at the 10-yard line, running into the end zone for an 80-yard touchdown. The 55,531 fans at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Aug. 31, 2025, saw the first glimpse of what Swain would go on to do for coach Shane Beamer last year. But his mother just saw her kid. The one who started off playing running back when he was 6-years old, and she would yell to him, "Don't stop running." "It was an amazing, surreal moment. I don't want to say I was surprised, but there's no way to prepare for moments like that," his mother Ronghenae Swain told The Greenville News. "It was the reality of hearing people cheer for him, it was a tearjerker, it brought tears to my eyes, but also extreme joy for him."
Swain grew up in Carrollton, Georgia, 45 miles west of Atlanta, with a love for the outdoors that outweighed an interest in toys. He bounced from house to house in the neighborhood looking for friends to play with, riding bikes and jumping on trampolines until the sun went down. Though Swain wasn't an only child, his sister was 13 years older and in college by the time he turned 5. His loneliness manifested into some shyness, but there was a boisterous personality still waiting to come out. "He never was a class clown of sorts but definitely had the need for the attention piece of it so he found that attention piece in sports," his mom said. "I'm not bragging, but he excelled in sports easily from the start so that became his way in. He always wanted to command the room. He had all the teachers wrapped around his little finger from kindergarten on up." Why Vicari Swain wants to 'bring the light' Swain chose the Gamecocks over Vanderbilt, Maryland, Colorado and Duke as part of the 2023 class. "I'm very fond of Shane Beamer," his mom said. "He cares about those young men as people and players but people first." Swain's mother was able to gather that in conversations during recruitment, but it's remained true through Swain's time in Columbia. It reminded her of a question she once asked him many years earlier. "I asked him, 'Who are you?'" she said. "At that time, he may have been in sixth grade, he didn't understand my reason for asking but it was important he understood that who you are matters, not what you can do. Are you compassionate? Are you kind? ... because people are going to know who are you off the field." Swain has certainly made an impact on and off the field. "Vicari is a character, he's funny, he has a great personality but he's not wild, he's definitely very respectful," defensive coordinator Clayton White said. "He's what you want as a defensive back." Swain said White summed him up accurately, adding, "Whenever the room is kind of dim, I just try to bring the light." His social media presence is equal parts Spider-Man edits, occasional dancing videos and football highlights. "V is unapologetically himself, camera on or camera off," fellow cornerback and former roommate Judge Collier said. "It's been fun watching V grow from freshman year to now … seeing the player he's become." Vicari Swain and the South Carolina record book Swain went from playing three games as a freshman to a 13-tackle season in 2024 to becoming one of the brightest spots in the 4-8 season last year. He did not return any kicks in his first two seasons. Swain returned two punts for scores against SC State, becoming the first in program in history to return two kicks for touchdowns in a game. He was the first Gamecocks player since Ace Sanders in 2012 to return three punts for a touchdown in a single season and is one shy of tying the career program record set by Dick Harris from 1969-71. His three punt return touchdowns tied with Iowa's Kaden Wetjen to lead the nation. With 19 returns, he logged 302 total yards, which ranked eighth in the nation. At cornerback he had 28 tackles (24 solo), five pass breakups, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and one sack. Under new special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley, it seems that Swain's role as punt returner will remain. "Coach Smiley kind of broke down my game and said, 'We need you to be more confident around the ball,'" Swain said. "So him elaborating on that to me has been eye-opening ... he's making me improve my game." Swain is projected as a second-day selection in the 2027 NFL Draft. "I think Vicari knows what time it is for him," White said. Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky @bylulukesin.bsky.social This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Why South Carolina's Vicari Swain can thank his mom for punt return success